And Therein Lies the Truth
by csmamj
Summary: 3rd Installment of the Lonnie and Monica Saga: Virgil is making trouble for Lonnie and Monica. But will a local Reverend and his son help him see the light? Please R
1. Chapter 1

And Therein Lies the Truth

Chapter 1

Monica pulled into the Tibbs' driveway at around four in the afternoon. Before she had a chance to get out of the car good, Althea ran outside to meet her.

"Hey, Mrs. Tibbs! I just…."

"Monica, we have to talk. Now." Althea grabbed Monica by the arm and led her into the kitchen. They sat down at the kitchen table, and Althea filled her in on her argument with Virgil over Monica's relationship with Lonnie.

Monica was speechless. She was also scared. Legally, there was no issue since Monica had been emancipated for three years. But she knew that from an ethics point of view, Lonnie could be in trouble. And if Virgil decided to make an issue out of this, Lonnie would definitely be in trouble since Sparta would not be happy about a white police officer having an affair with a black 18 year old from the Bottoms. Virgil would have all the support he needed to ruin Lonnie's career.

"What exactly did Mr. Tibbs say?" She asked

"Nothing." Althea responded. "That's what worries me. All he said was that he was going to work and he walked out."

Monica sat for a few minutes and thought. After she figured out what to do, she took Althea's hand.

"I know you feel responsible for this, but don't. It was bound to come out eventually. LJ and I just never really prepared for it. Anyway, I need to go to the courthouse."

Althea was confused. "The courthouse? What for?"

Monica smiled. "Research."

XXX

Chief Gillespie listened to Virgil intently as he spoke. They were at the Chief's house as Virgil did not want anyone, especially Parker, overhearing what he had to say. After he finished speaking, Virgil sat quietly and waited for the Chief to respond.

"Well, Virgil. All we really know for sure is that Lonnie slept with her this weekend. And that's just your word against theirs since you were the only witness. And she is 18. So legally, there's no issue here."

"Chief! Are you telling me that you honestly believe he wasn't involved with the girl before she left?"

"Virgil, you're talking about filing formal charges against one of my best officers based on hearsay. What I believe about a situation that happened two years ago, while I was out of town, I might add, has nothing to do with this. I'm talking about facts. And the fact is nothing illegal has happened here. Why are we even having this conversation?"

Virgil stood up and began to pace. _'Oh, Lord help us!'_ the Chief thought as he knew Virgil pacing meant it was soapbox time.

"Technically, you're right. I'll give you that. But I'm not talking legalities here. I'm talking about the moral and ethical responsibilities of a police officer. And I refuse to believe that it's okay for an officer to seduce a 16 year old; whether she's emancipated or not. Our code of ethics will back me up on that and you know it."

"How do you know that she didn't seduce him?"

"Chief, this is no time for jokes!"

"No, I'm being quite serious. I've known Monica Styles since the day she was born. And I'll tell you something Virgil. I've seen many a man in Sparta, black and white, almost forget himself with her. And that girl is smart; she's got just enough of her mama in her to do anything she sets her mind to do. I tend to believe that if she wanted a man, she would get him. End of story. And I'm equally as inclined to believe that she couldn't do any better than Jamison. Of course, the ability to choose the _right_ man is a skill set she didn't get from her mama."

Virgil was completely exasperated and didn't appreciate the Chief's attempt at humor. "I can see that this conversation isn't going anywhere. Between you're attachment to Jamison and your personal situation; you've got your blinders on again."

The Chief slowly removed his glasses and stared at Virgil. "Just what exactly are you implying, Virgil?"

"I'm stating that your involvement with a black female who's younger than you may keep you from seeing this situation with Jamison for what it is."

"Really? Well, I'll tell you what I think Virgil, since you're so busy looking for the truth. I think you're so upset about this because Jamison is white!"

"What!"

"No, no really. I think if this was Sweet or Peake you wouldn't be so damned mad right now. And… I think you're mad because people around here knew something you didn't. And we all know that the great Virgil Tibbs never misses anything!"

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"Well, it could be, Virgil. It could very well be. But I'll tell you this. I'm not signing off on your request to conduct this inquiry against Jamison. And I suggest you search yourself long and hard before you end up hurting a lot a people."

"That's your decision. I do, however, have the right to go over your head."

"And that, Virgil, is your decision. In the meantime, I think we've both said all we have to say about this matter. Besides….my lunch, much like this conversation, is growing cold. I strongly suggest that we go ahead and eat before it gets too cold for either of us to tolerate it any longer."

XXX

"Monica!" Marie screamed and ran around her desk to give Monica a hug. "I'm so glad to see you. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I've got some last minute research to catch up on. Do you think Darnelle would mind if an ex-employee spent some time in the file room?"

"No, he wouldn't. Provided that ex-employee had a good explanation for not calling him when she arrived in town."

Both women quickly jerked their heads around as Marie had not spoken. They both turned and saw Darnelle grinning from his office door.

Monica smiled. "Hi, Mr. Darnelle!"

Darnelle walked to her and gave a quick peck on the cheek. "Glad to have you home again, Monica. You know, if you're looking for some summer work, I'd be glad to have you back. And Parker would appreciate it, too."

Monica laughed. "Believe it or not, I'm actually taking the summer off. But I do have a last minute project to finish up. Is it okay if I borrow some space for a few hours?"

"Of course, use whatever you need. But I do need to run off to a meeting. Faye and I will still have our usual dinner with you before you leave?"

"I wouldn't miss it!"

Darnelle left, and Monica went into the file room to get to work. She went to the computer and found exactly what she was looking for, the Sparta City Code of Ethics for Government Employees. Then she found the specific violation she thought Virgil would try to use. All she had to do now was find the courage she needed to move on to the next step. Even with all of the personal growth she had made over the past two years, the next necessary move would be her hardest. Now that Monica had her information, she would need to ask for help.

XXX

Lonnie and Virgil had not spoken since Monday afternoon, unless it was specifically related to a case. They were both professional, but they had grown close since Virgil hand-picked him to train for detective work. The change in their communication pattern was noticeable to everyone at the station.

Luann noticed it, too, and decided to bring it up while they were out on patrol. Lonnie tried to keep Luann close to him or Bubba whenever possible. She was well on her way to becoming a Sergeant, and they both wanted her ready when the time came. Luann had already told him that she planned on being a Lieutenant within the next three years, and Lonnie believed she could very well do it.

"All right, boss," she started. "What's up with you and Virgil? Trouble in paradise?"

"It's nothing, Luann."

"As much time as I've spent with you, and you're going to sit here and try to lie to me?"

Lonnie took his eye from the road long enough to look at her face. She was smiling and Lonnie smiled back. "Okay, it's something. But don't worry about it. It's more personal than anything else."

Luann let it drop. When Lonnie mentioned the word 'personal', that was her cue to back off. The man didn't talk about his life outside of work and she knew it. Lonnie noticed her silence and decided to acknowledge it. He and Luann were becoming friends and he didn't want to lose her.

"Thanks for the catch." He responded.

"No problem. But you know if you need anything, I'm here."

"I know. And before this is over, I may just take you up on that."

Luann had no idea what Lonnie was talking about. But she did know that whatever it was had to be serious. Luann could tell that Lonnie was still a little uncomfortable, so she changed the subject for him.

"So what's your detective brain telling you about these two cases?"

"Oh, no. You're after my job, remember? You tell me."

"Okay." Luann reached onto the floorboard of the car and pulled out a small notebook. "I made a list of similarities and differences. What's in common is that both victims were females, smart, quiet, and between 18-25. What's different is that one was black and the other was white, the white girl was poor and the black girl was rich, and oh….the white girl was found raped and murdered, and the black girl is still missing. But, I'm still not sure that the two cases are related."

Lonnie smiled to himself and said, "So what's the best direction to take to get sure?"

Luann wrinkled her forehead, a sign that Lonnie had noticed meant she was thinking. "I'd say for now we focus on the similarities. The differences are so far apart that we'd be going in circles forever."

"I think you're right…Lieutenant!" Lonnie winked his eye at her and they continued on to the white girl's home to talk with her parents.

XXX

Meanwhile, Sweet was in the Bottoms talking to Jimmy Dawes about the same case. Even though the Bottoms was black, everyone knew that Jimmy had business associates in the poor white neighborhoods, too. Lonnie figured it'd be easier for Sweet to get information out of Jimmy than it would be to send him scoping over in the trailer park.

Sweet had been waiting for about 15 minutes before Jimmy finally showed up out of nowhere. Sweet was not pleased. "Why is it that you can never be on time?"

Jimmy smiled. "You know how it is, man. When the employees don't show up for work, it's the owner that ends up sweating. Being an entrepreneur ain't for everybody."

Sweet just shook his head and chuckled. "You know, I think you were a politician in your previous life."

"Naw, man. That's my next life." Jimmy looked quickly from right to left and then said, "So, you got a donation for my future campaign expenses?"

Sweet reached into his jean pocket and handed Jimmy a $50 dollar bill. "The other half is if your information checks out."

"Word is that dead white girl and the missing sister are all the same deal, man. There two more girls missing that ya'll don't know nothing about."

"Okay." Sweet was completely confused, but didn't want to let on.

"See, the other two wasn't reported cause they mamas is sorry. Most folk figured they just ran away. Ain't nobody say nothing 'cause they figured it was none of they business. But I done some figuring on my own."

Sweet was already reaching into his pocket. He knew Jimmy would want the other $50 to continue.

"See, them two girls that ain't nobody said nothing about is both smart and they keep to themselves. And….."

Sweet was getting tired. "And what, Jimmy?"

"And they ain't have no boyfriends. I bet the dead white girl and the missing sister was flying solo, too. And ya'll looking for one sick dude."

Sweet thought about his for a minute and decided the information was worth taking to Lonnie. "So do the two non-reports have names?"

Jimmy smiled and held out his hand. "They sure do!"

The two men completed their transaction. Just as Sweet was about to leave, Jimmy stopped him.

"How's Monica, man?"

"She's doing good, Jimmy."

"What about my ivory brother?"

Sweet smiled. "He's doing good, too."

"On the real, Sweet. He doing right by her?"

Sweet was careful not to say too much, but trying to hide anything from Jimmy was crazy. "They're both doing great."

Jimmy smiled and nodded his head approvingly. "Tell Jamison I need to see him."

"About what?" Sweet asked.

"Man, just tell him to holla at me, okay?"

And with that, Jimmy was gone.

XXX

Sweet returned to the station and found that Lonnie was still out on patrol with Luann. Virgil was in, so he'd have to report his talk with Jimmy to him. Sweet wasn't happy about that. He hadn't been happy with Virgil since the Pinkney case wrapped up.

Everything turned out fine for Sweet, he acknowledged that. But it had been hell, being accused of asking for a bribe, and then being asked to submit to a lie detector test in order to keep the Chief from admitting that the bust occurred because the suspect had hurt Harriet Delong. Everyone knew he was very upset about that. But what no one knew is how badly Virgil had disappointed him. Virgil had been forced to investigate him, Sweet knew that. And in the end, the Chief did decide to admit how the arrest came about; although no one, including Sweet, would let him do it. What had disappointed Sweet was Virgil's reaction after the case ended up in Sweet's favor. In a private conversation, Virgil basically told Sweet that these things happened and that he needed to get over it. And while that may have been the truth; what Sweet really needed and expected from Virgil was some brotherly support. And he was hurt that Virgil seemed unable to see that. Virgil didn't know it, but their relationship had not been the same since. And since Virgil also didn't know that he would be leaving at the end of September, Sweet decided to keep his feelings about the man to himself. He gathered his senses and walked into Virgil's office.

XXX

Monica arrived back at the Tibbs' house and noticed a brown hatchback car at the curb.

'_Oh!'_ She thought. _'I forgot that Althea was tutoring this summer.'_

Monica walked into the house and saw Althea sitting at the kitchen table with a young man.

"Oh, Hi Monica. This is Aaron Pitman, the student I told you about. Aaron, this is Monica."

"Hi Aaron." Monica extended her hand. Aaron took it in kind. "Don't you have more important things to do this summer than study?"

Aaron pushed his glasses back onto his pink nose and shuffled his penny-loafered feet. "Actually, I don't, ma'am. Other than playing chess on the computer and Bible study. Besides, Mrs. Tibbs tells me that you spend a lot of time studying yourself."

Monica laughed. "She's right. But I do take a break now and then."

"Yeah." Aaron replied. "I'd imagine your boyfriend would be upset with you if you studied all the time."

"Oh, I don't have a boyfriend," Monica lied. She didn't know this kid, but she and Lonnie hadn't decided to date openly yet, and she wasn't taking any chances. "But I'm going to let you two get back to work so your girlfriend doesn't get mad at me for keeping you here."

Monica left the kitchen and went to the backyard to play with twins. Althea went back to checking Aaron's math answers.

And Aaron stared out of the window, watching Monica.


	2. Chapter 2

And Therein Lies the Truth

Chapter 2

Thursday finally arrived, and Monica and Lonnie met as planned at the trailer. Lonnie had arrived first. And when Monica got out of her car and looked at him, they both knew that the other knew about Virgil.

Monica ran up the steps to the porch and threw her arms around Lonnie. He held on to her for several minutes and then he spoke. "Are you okay at the house?"

Monica kissed his cheek and said "He hasn't said one word to me about it. But then, he isn't really speaking to Althea, either. The whole thing is so tense, LJ. But I'm afraid to say anything."

Lonnie didn't speak, he just looked at Monica. He was worried about her staying in Virgil's house. He was also worried about her, because he knew she was worried about him.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine, hon. Don't worry."

"What did he say to you, LJ? And don't tell me 'nothing'."

Lonnie waited a second, and finally relayed the conversation he and Virgil had on Monday.

"That's what I thought. Here. I brought you something." Monica handed Lonnie the computer print outs on the city's ethics policy, including her highlights of where she thought Virgil would go.

Lonnie read them and handed them back. "I appreciate what you did, Monica. But this isn't your fight. It's mine. Let me handle it."

"The hell it's not! You're not in this mess because you're dating yourself. You're in it because you're seeing me. We're a team, LJ. Let me help you."

Between Virgil and the kidnap cases, Lonnie's nerves were shot. He was in no mood for Monica's attitude or her superwoman routine. "Look. Everybody on a team has their position. The one you're trying to take isn't for you. I'm telling you to leave it alone."

Monica was officially angry. She put her hands on her hips, jerked her neck and rolled her eyes. "You're _telling_ me?"

Lonnie didn't backdown. "Yeah. I'm telling you. Everything in life isn't a math equation for you to solve. And I've managed to handle quite a few situations before I knew you, believe it or not!"

Feeling her eyes begin to fill with tears, Monica turned away from Lonnie and faced the driveway. Lonnie read her tears for what they were. Yes, her feelings were hurt, but those tears meant that the girl was pure-d pissed! He let her alone for a few minutes and then he spoke.

"Listen, I know that was harsh. And I'm sorry I made you mad. But I meant what said. I need you to respect that."

"Fine."

"Monica….."

"No, it's fine. So tell me, what do you plan to do?"

Lonnie sat down on the steps. Monica sat down beside of him. He finally looked at her and spoke.

"The charge Virgil is talking about is pretty serious. He would need the Chief's approval and knowing Virgil, they've already discussed it."

Monica sat quietly, but made no response.

"Are you listening?" Lonnie asked.

"Yes. I was just waiting for you to say it was okay for me to speak."

Lonnie ignored her comment. He supposed he deserved it, but he was holding his ground.

"If the Chief doesn't want to go along with it, then Virgil has the option of going over his head, straight to Darnelle. In the meantime, maybe we…."

Monica's head snapped around and she looked at him. "Maybe we should what?"

"Maybe we should hold off on spending time together for a while. Virgil knows where we meet. You live in his house. And you can't move out or that will be a red flag. Until this thing is over, I think we should take it easy."

Monica couldn't believe what she was hearing. It felt like a rock had been thrown at her head. Lonnie knew he had hurt her. He couldn't even look at her, even though he knew he was right. Finally she spoke.

"I guess you know the answer now."

"The answer to what?"

"The answer to what you would do if you found yourself in the Chief's shoes."

Lonnie knew what was coming, but his own feelings of shame and confusion kept him from speaking. Monica spoke for him.

"You'd run."

XXX

Virgil was sitting at his desk, once again tapping his pencil. Sweet had just left after updating him on his talk with Jimmy. But that isn't what Virgil was thinking about. Virgil's mind had wandered back about 20 years. He was thinking of Linda, the cousin he had grown up with and eventually lost to suicide.

He and Linda were the same age and were very close growing up. They were both very smart and competed with each other to see who got the highest A on their report cards. But when they each turned about 15, Linda began to act very strange. She started skipping school, coming home late, and didn't have time to hang out with Virgil anymore. Linda killed herself at 18. When it was all said and done, the family found out that Linda had been having an affair with a white teacher at school since she was 15. They found letters that the two had written to each other and the man claimed to have been in love with her. But when Linda discovered that she was pregnant, the teacher drove her to Jackson for an abortion and then stopped seeing her. Between the abortion and realizing that she had been used, Linda couldn't cope any longer and had taken her own life. The family had filed a complaint and a smoke-screened investigation was conducted, but back then there was no way that a white male would be arrested for taking advantage of a black girl, not in Sparta. Virgil had all but forgotten about it, purposely blocking it from his memory. The situation with Lonnie and Monica brought it all back for him.

He and Jamison had become pretty close since they began his unofficial training. They were on the verge of becoming friends. Lonnie had been to the house several times for dinner and Virgil had taken him to class with him a few times. And in turn, Lonnie had made Virgil the only officer, besides Sweet, who had been invited to his home. In short, Virgil trusted him and saw a friendship forming. And now he felt that his trust had been betrayed. Virgil admitted that Lonnie _believed_ he cared for Monica, but Virgil also knew that Lonnie had no idea what he was getting into. The Chief dating Harriet was different. The Chief was older; he'd lived his life and had nothing to lose. Lonnie, on the other hand had his entire future ahead of him. And when it was all said and done, and Lonnie was forced to make a choice, Virgil truly believed that another young girl he cared about would end up hurt at the hands of a white man.

Only this time, Virgil knew about it. And he could stop it. With or without the Chief's help.

XXX

Aaron Pitman was standing at the edge of the woods at Brewer's Pond. He had been there about an hour. He was watching Monica. Aaron had followed her there. Some white guy was waiting for her. It looked like they were arguing. Then the white guy left. Aaron stayed hidden until Monica decided to leave. He waited a few minutes, and then pulled out about five minutes behind her.

XXX

Lonnie's head hurt all the way to the bottom of his feet. His mind was heavy with work and Monica. He had hurt her, and he hated that. But he meant what he said and believed that he was right. Until he knew whether or not Virgil was serious about his threat, it was best that they not be seen together. That was common sense. But maybe that's why his relationships never seemed to work out. Being in love had nothing to do with common sense, as he found out this afternoon. Looking back on his conversation with Monica, he decided that he had made the right call, it just felt like hell. He only hoped that her intelligence would win out against her emotions long enough for her to realize the same thing.

XXX

Monica went back to the Tibbs'. When she walked in the door, Althea was in the living room reading to Billy and Sarah.

"Hi there! How's Lonnie?"

Monica tried to speak, but she couldn't. She finally burst out in tears.

"Oh, honey." Althea held the girl and stroked her back until she stopped sobbing and told Althea what happened.

"Althea, he's right. I know that. But to hear him say it just…it hurt!"

"Getting what you want isn't all it's cracked up to be, is it?"

"What do you mean?"

Althea smiled and continued to stroke her back. "Sometimes women have a habit of asking for things that they don't really want. You asked Lonnie to be honest with you. You told him to take his time and his own way to figure out if this is what he really wanted. But you didn't expect him to do it. And now you're angry because he did precisely what you told him to."

Monica wiped her eyes as she realized that Althea was right. She had caused this. And she needed to apologize to him as soon as he felt it was okay for them to see each other again. Just as Monica was about to share her realization with Althea, she realized that someone else should know first. She pulled away from Althea and dialed Lonnie's car phone.

"Hello?" Lonnie answered.

"Hey."

Lonnie had a smile in his voice. "Hey, what?"

"You know what." Monica smiled back.

Lonnie laughed. "No problem. And I love you."

"Me too, LJ." Monica responded, and then hung up the phone.

Althea was confused. "What was that?"

Monica just grinned. "I just said 'I'm sorry'."

XXX

The next day, Virgil met with Sweet, Lonnie and Luann on the kidnapping cases. Parker and Bubba had investigated the names of the two other young women that Sweet had discovered were missing as well. One name turned up as a dead body in an abandoned building in the Bottoms, the other name was still missing.

"I think it's safe for us to assume that these cases are related. Anybody have any ideas?"

"Well," Luann began. "If it is the same perp, it looks like he's got some kind of system going. Like they're some he keeps and some he kills off."

"I tend to agree with Luann." Lonnie added. "We're working on trying to tie everything these girls had in common, seeing if there's some kind of thread."

Virgil nodded. "Good idea, Lieutenant. Sweet found out from Jimmy that the last two victims didn't have boyfriends. Maybe that's another thread for you to work on with the first two."

Virgil gave a few more pointers and then left for his summer class. Lonnie was now heading up the investigation.

"Sweet, you want to go down and see if you can get anymore details out of Jimmy?"

"Actually you ought to go. He asked to see you."

"For what?"

"He didn't say."

"Okay. You go with Luann and visit the first two families again. Get some details on those girls' dating habits. I'll go find Jimmy."

Lonnie arrived in the Bottoms and found Little Ricky. Little Ricky was about 12 and it was suspected that he was a runner for Jimmy. He told the boy that Jimmy had sent for him. The little boy took off to get his boss. Jimmy arrived at their normal meeting place about ten minutes later.

"My ivory brother! What's up, man?"

Lonnie smiled slightly and shook his head. "I'm hanging in there, Jimmy. What can I do you for?"

"I just wanted to make sure we was still cool. I ain't seen you in a while."

"As far as I know, we're cool. Is there something I missed?"

"Come on, man. I know you know it was me that put Sweet onto you about Monica."

Lonnie suddenly stood completely still. For some reason, he'd always liked Jimmy. But Jimmy was what Jimmy was. And Lonnie didn't completely trust the man at all.

Jimmy noticed the change in Lonnie's demeanor, so he spoke again. "You ever wonder why I did that?"

"I figure you were just being your usual charming self. But, I did wonder why you didn't try to sell us out to the Chief. Is that why I'm here? You finally figured out what you wanted to keep your mouth shut?"

Jimmy rubbed his beard and crossed his arms. "Man, you done gave me what I wanted. I'm just checking in to see if you still doing it."

"Jimmy, what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Monica. Ya'll still going together?"

"That's none of your business, Jimmy."

Jimmy smiled slowly and cocked his head to the side. "That, my ivory brother, is where you wrong. Think about it."

Lonnie eyed Jimmy for a minute. Finally it hit him. "Does she know?"

Jimmy laughed. "Hell no! Her own mama didn't know, so how was she supposed to?"

"If her mother didn't know, then how do you?"

Jimmy uncrossed his arms and cut his eyes at Lonnie. "'Cause I'm a man, dammit, that's how! I know where I been, when I was there, and who I was with. Besides, a real man don't need nobody to tell him when he's looking at his own flesh and blood."

Lonnie nodded his head in complete agreement. "She has a right to know, Jimmy."

"Naw, man. She got a right to be happy. Is she happy?"

"Yeah. She's happy. Moody as ever, but happy."

Jimmy laughed. "Yeah. That moody mess she got from her trick-ass mama. The smarts…that's all me, baby!"

Jimmy looked down at his feet and then faced Lonnie again. "Look man. I hear things could get real deep for you soon. Now, I ain't never done too much for that girl, besides beat her ass to keep her in school. And I like you. That's why I left you alone after Sweet said it was all good. But I'll tell you what…." Jimmy lit a cigarette as he got on his moped.

"If you ain't sure about this, and you mess her up…. I _will_ kick your ass. Cop or not. We cool?"

Lonnie smiled. "We're cool, Jimmy."

Lonnie stood by the shack and stared at his mud covered shoes. All of sudden he broke out into a fit a laughter. He laughed so hard that he had tears in his eyes. When he remembered that he hadn't laughed like that since he was ten years old, he laughed even more. He finally pulled himself together enough to reflect on what he had just heard. _'I'll be damned!'_ He thought. _'Jimmy Dawes could end up being my father in-law!'_


	3. Chapter 3

And Therein Lies the Truth

Chapter 3

Monica woke up on Friday morning feeling less than confident; and it was a big stretch for her to admit that. She remembered her conversation with Lonnie and was glad that she had apologized to him. But she still had to do what she had to do. Somewhere in his head, Lonnie believed that there was a rational reason for Virgil's reaction and for what Chief Gillespie and Harriet were going through. And Monica knew that trying to explain to him that there wasn't one was impossible. Racism was nothing but pure emotion mixed with a touch of ignorance and a whole lot of fear. There was nothing rational about it. Monica knew that from experience. And while she did understand and agree with Lonnie that they shouldn't see each until he knew Virgil's next move, she had to do what she could to protect Lonnie. Unfortunately, the very man that could help him was the exact same man who could help Virgil ruin him. Monica got ready for her shower and prepared herself for the biggest decision she'd made since she'd given herself to Lonnie. She was going to trust someone else to help her.

While Monica was getting ready for her appointment, Lonnie and Sweet were having breakfast. They were both on patrol, but things were quiet and they decided to sneak in a hot meal before the crazies got out of bed.

"So, have you made up your mind yet?" Lonnie asked between bites of a sausage biscuit.

"Yep. I'm taking it, man. It's a great opportunity. And after that mess with Pickney, well, let's just say I need a change."

"Well, I hate it. But you're right. Going into a force as a Lieutenant is a big deal. That could set you up for the fast track."

Sweet laughed. "Yeah, especially since my best friend took my shot here."

Lonnie knew Sweet was joking, but his last comment stung a little. "Come on, man. As far as skills are concerned, you're the best Sparta's got. You're better than me, and I know that. But you have to admit that your attitude needs adjusting more times than not, at least by small town standards. That's why Jackson City's been chasing you so hard. You're a better fit there, a perfect fit actually, and you know it."

Sweet nodded. "I know. And I hate admitting it, but you're right. Listen, I'm not saying anything until these kidnapping cases are wrapped up. I don't want to stress anybody out."

"No problem. Since we're talking, I guess I'll go ahead and tell you that Virgil knows."

Sweet dropped his fork. "Ah hell! How'd he find out?"

Lonnie relayed the story to Sweet and ended with he and Monica's decision to lay off for a while until they could see what Virgil was going to do.

"And Monica agreed to this?" Sweet asked.

"Well, she wasn't happy about it, but in the end she saw I was right."

"Really?"

Lonnie eyed Sweet carefully. He knew Sweet had more to say and he knew that the man wasn't happy. He remained quiet so Sweet would continue.

"Lonnie, on a technical level you were one hundred percent right. And if you were solving a case, you'd be all over it. But you're dealing with feelings, man. You know, emotions? You basically told the girl that you loved her as long as everything's cool. But if anything hits the fan, you need her to hide."

"That's your take on it, Willson, not hers. If she felt that way, then why didn't she argue me down?"

"Because she loves you, man. That's why."

Lonnie didn't say a word. Sweet was right, and he could see that now. And when he remembered Monica calling him to apologize, he felt like an ass. He'd talk to her, but his pride wouldn't let him continue the conversation with Sweet. Instead, he changed the subject. "So what did you and Luann find out about these girls?"

"Well, Luann may be on to something. See, we all thought that none of the girls had boyfriends. That's wrong. Two of the girls did, but no one knew about it but their mothers. It appears that the daddies didn't approve of the matches."

"Let me guess, it's the dead girls that had secret boyfriends, right?"

"That's it. The other two, the ones that are still missing? Everybody is adamant that they weren't dating at all, virgins. Jimmy's right. We're looking for one sick dude."

Lonnie leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He sat quietly for a moment, and then spoke. "Willson, you ever read 'Kiss the Girls'?

Sweet smiled, "And saw the movie, too! Why?" As soon as he asked the question, Sweet realized where Lonnie was going.

Recognizing the look on Sweet's face, Lonnie continued, "What if this creep has it in his head that he's looking for the perfect woman? He scopes them out and takes them home. Then he finds out that they're not perfect?"

"Damn! A psycho in Sparta!"

Just then, Parker came in over Sweet's two-way. The missing black girl had been found on the front porch of her parents' home, completely unconscious. The ambulance had just left.

The guys left the restaurant and headed straight to the hospital.

XXX

Monica walked up the familiar steps, opened the door, and walked down the hall. She was still scared, but she took a deep breath and knocked on the office door.

"Come in" a voice said.

Monica opened the office door, walked in and sat door. The person she was visiting recognized the look on her face. She was worried.

"Monica, what's wrong?"

Monica immediately broke down into tears. "Mr. Darnelle, I need your help."

XXX

Althea was sitting at the kitchen table waiting for Aaron to arrive. She loved having something to do during the summer, but Monica was right. The boy really should be having some fun right now. Just as Althea was about to fix herself a cup of coffee, the doorbell rang.

"Coming!" she called. She opened the door and saw Aaron standing on the porch. "Good morning!" she greeted.

"Hi, Mrs. Tibbs."

The boy came inside and the two of them got to work. After about an hour, Althea suggested a break.

"Aaron, why do you wait to work on the problems I assign? I don't mind your doing them here, but if you completed them at home, we'd finish up quicker and you'd have more of your summer to yourself."

"Oh, I know Mrs. Tibbs. But my father has a difficult time sleeping. He nods off at all kinds of strange hours and I like to try to stay out of the house and let him sleep whenever he can. His doctor has even got him on medication for it."

"I didn't know that Reverend Pitman was having such a hard time. I suppose being in charge of such a large congregation can wear a person down. That may be why he has such a hard time sleeping. Well, how about I get you some juice, I get my coffee, and then we get back to work?"

XXX

Darnelle listened to Monica completely and intently. Monica did not tell Darnelle exactly how long she and Lonnie had been involved, or that Althea had known since the beginning. She only said that the two of them had _met_ when she was 16, that Virgil found out about their relationship last week, and that he had threatened Lonnie with formal charges. Darnelle was shocked that she was speaking to him about it, but not surprised by the situation. He had seen Lonnie and Monica together when she used to work for him. And he remembered thinking that if Lonnie was a little younger and if she were a little older, they'd be perfect for each other. When she finally finished, he spoke.

"I'm glad that you trust me enough to want me to help you this, Monica. But you've put me in a very awkward position. I don't know what else you intend to say, but as Sparta's Prosecuting Attorney; I can't hear anything that may be incrementing. Maybe it'd be best if you went to Marie or even Sarah Halisey for advice about this."

Monica tried to explain that it took everything she had to talk to him. She also tried to explain that she couldn't discuss this with anyone she didn't know. She tried. But she was sobbing and wailing so loudly that Darnelle couldn't understand a single word. What he did know is that with all of his formal education, no one had ever been able to teach him how to handle hysterical crying jags. He hurriedly handed Monica some tissues and nervously patted her hand to calm her down.

"All right, now. All right. Calm down and listen. First of all, I'm the Prosecuting Attorney for Sparta. You know that. Now, based on what you've told me so far, and from the point of view of the law, there's nothing for me to do. No crime has been committed.

Darnelle took a deep breath and continued. "But, I also have to warn you that it's in you and Lonnie's best interest not to give me any more details about this situation at all. If Virgil does decide to move forward and the Council decides to investigate, I will have to hear the case. And I'm letting you know right now that if that happens, I _will_ officially question you about our conversation today in order to do my job. It'd look bad for if I didn't and the conversation came out anyway. I really shouldn't be talking to you at all."

Tears began to swell up in Monica's eyes again. Darnelle knew he sounded hard, but he needed Monica to understand exactly where he stood on this thing before she said something that would hurt Lonnie and ruin his own career at the same time. They were already close to the line of propriety as it was; he needed to stop her before she inadvertently caused a train wreck.

After she calmed down a bit Darnelle finished up. "Listen, Virgil has not filed his complaint yet. My guess is he hasn't done anything yet because Gillespie won't sign off; and he's trying to decide if it's worth bringing to me. And ALL you've told me today is that you and Lonnie are dating NOW, a good 3 months past your 18th birthday. So for the moment, there is no issue. You and I are just old pals having a friendly conversation, okay?"

Monica nodded her head in understanding. "What I can safely tell you is this." he began. "The only way Virgil's charges will stick is if he can prove the relationship began before you turned 18. Otherwise, it's just slander, his word against Lonnie's. However…."

Darnell looked away from Monica for a moment, and then looked up to face her again. "Virgil still has the right to file his complaint, either way. And if he does, then I'm obligated to present it to the City Council for their review. It will be up to them  
to decide whether or not to have it investigated. In the meantime, you'd want to be careful of telling anyone exactly when this relationship started, especially me."

Monica nodded her head again.

"Now," Darnelle said. "While this thing is still just a friendly conversation, I think you and I should go have a friendly lunch." Darnelle picked up his phone.

"Who are you calling?" Monica asked.

"An old friend of yours."

XXX

Sweet and Lonnie arrived at the hospital. The girl was awake now and Dr. Day said they could talk to her, but for no more than ten minutes. They tapped on the door and entered Rhonda Arrington's room. Her parents were there with her.

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Arrington." Lonnie said. "I'm Lt. Jamison and this here is Sgt. Sweet. Is it okay if we ask your daughter a few questions?"

"We won't be long, we promise." Sweet added.

Her parents nodded and the guys began to get some details from her. She was 19 and home from college for summer break. She went to a party over in Kenard about two weeks ago. She went to her car, was grabbed from behind, and felt something stick her in the arm. The next thing she remembered she was in a bedroom in a house somewhere in the woods. She had no memory of how she got there or what the house looked like.

"How do you know it was the woods?" Sweet asked.

"The noises. Birds. Animals. They all sounded real close. And no cars. I didn't hear cars."

Lonnie spoke next. "Okay, Miss Arrington. Can you describe the room?"

"Pretty. Pink and white with roses. Brass Bed. Very nice."

"What about the kidnapper? Did you see him? Hear his voice?" Sweet asked.

"Heard his voice. Real quiet. Soothing. Didn't see him. Wore a hooded robe. Covered his face. I saw his hands. He's white."

"You're doing real good Miss Arrington. Just one more question, I promise." Lonnie said. "Is there anything else at all, even if you think it's small, that you can tell us?"

"He's a nice man. Didn't hurt me at all. Read Bible verses to me. Always brought me something to drink. Strawberry margaritas. Would get mad if I didn't drink the margaritas."

Lonnie and Sweet thanked the Arringtons and left the room. They stood in the hall, dumbfounded.

"Lonnie, Dr. Day said that someone had sex with her, which to me means she's been raped. But she says the guy didn't hurt her."

"Yeah. No bruises or signs of any struggle, either. It looks like the sex was consensual. And she was found unconscious. She's clearly been drugged, but Dr. Day can't find anything."

"What do you think?"

"I think we need to talk to our friendly neighborhood pharmacist."

XXX

Darnelle and Monica arrived at Harriet Delong's office at around 1pm. Everyone knew that Harriet had helped Monica with assessing her furniture a few years ago, and that Monica used to work for Darnelle. Seeing the three of them have lunch in her office didn't strike anyone as odd.

As they ate the sandwiches Harriet had ordered, Darnelle carefully filled her in on the situation. Monica was entirely too drained to do it herself.

"Well, first of all, congratulations. Lonnie is a fine man." Harriet said.

"Thank you, Ms. Delong." Monica responded.

"As far as this thing with Virgil is concerned, Gerard is right. If he files charges, it will have to come to the City Council. And I already know how that's going to go. I'm living it right now."

"Harriet, we came here hoping you could help, not for you to scare the girl."

"Well, I see no sense in lying to her, Gerard. The entire council is spinning their wheels trying to figure out how to get rid of Bill because of me. And he's almost old enough to be my daddy! What do you think they'd do to Lonnie, a young eligible bachelor?"

Darnelle didn't respond. Harriet was right, and he knew it.

"What we have to do is convince Virgil not to file the charges to begin with. What has he said to you, Monica?" Harriet asked.

"Nothing."

"Nothing! You're living in the man's house and he hasn't mentioned this to you at all?"

"No ma'am. He just says 'good morning' and 'good night'."

"Well!" Harriet leaned back in her chair. "Believe it or not, that's a good sign. I've known Virgil a long time. He doesn't make a move on anything until he's one hundred percent sure that he's right, whether he is or not. And right now, he's still not sure. That means I've still got time."

"Time? Time for what?" Darnelle asked.

Harriet rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Why to convince the man to leave this thing alone, of course. You know, for a lawyer, you ask the most ridiculous questions sometimes."

XXX

Althea was straightening up the kitchen. Aaron had just left and Monica had called from her car indicating that she would be home in few minutes. While Althea was sweeping, she noticed a small white pill on the floor.

"What's this?" she asked out loud. She turned the pill over and saw the word 'Roche'. _'Maybe Aaron dropped it.'_ She thought. She placed the pill on the counter and waited for Monica to get home.


	4. Chapter 4

And Therein Lies the Truth

Chapter 4

Lonnie and Sweet were in Virgil's office. They were in the middle of filling him in on their conversation with Jimmy.

"Say that again?" Virgil asked.

"'Ruffies'. What's that?" Sweet asked.

"Hold on!" Virgil exclaimed. He jumped up and hurriedly grabbed his phone. "This is Detective Tibbs, I need Dr. Day. I don't care who she's meeting with! This is an emergency!"

After a few moments, Virgil was speaking with Dr. Day. He instructed her to perform another urine test on Rhonda Arrington, but was giving her very specific instructions on how the test should be conducted and exactly what drug to look for. He hung up and wiped the sweat that had formed from his brow. Lonnie and Sweet were confused.

"Virgil, what just happened here? And what in the hell is a 'Ruffie'?" Sweet asked.

"Rophypnol. It's a prescription medication normally given to patients with sleep disorders, mainly narcolepsy. It's also a very common date rape drug and almost impossible to detect after about 72 hours. And even if you catch it in time, you need to run a certain type of test in order to identify it."

"But when we talked to Rhonda, she said the guy hadn't done anything to her at all, expect force margaritas on her." Lonnie said.

"Margaritas? With salt?"

Lonnie thought the question was silly. "I don't know Virgil, I forgot to ask her."

"Sorry… Lieutenant. Of course, you're not aware of what I'm referring to." Virgil had stopped calling Lonnie by his name since the incident a last weekend, and he had started making what appeared to be concentrated efforts to point out Lonnie's shortcomings whenever he could. "Rophypnol comes in pill form. Guys will normally slip it into a girl's drink because is dissolves clear and…."

Sweet finally got it. "Has a salty taste to it."

"Exactly. That's why there was no sign of a struggle. There was no need for one. The girl was out cold the whole time. This drug can also causes amnesia."

Sweet continued. "Which is why she doesn't remember anything."

Everyone remained quiet. Finally Virgil spoke. "Well, we finally have our motive."

"We do?" Lonnie asked.

"Yes. This guy is obsessed with virgins. He kidnaps these girls for himself. If they've never been with anyone, he has his way with them and then releases them. If they have had intercourse, he kills them for being unfit."

"Works for me." Sweet said. "Sick, but makes perfect sense."

"I'm not so sure." Lonnie said.

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

Lonnie was really getting tired of Virgil's attitude, but he had a hunch. "There's just a lot of information we're ignoring here. Both the dead girls had boyfriends that the daddies didn't know nothing about. And Rhonda mentioned that the guy was reading Bible verses to her. I think we need to do some more digging before we go jumping to conclusions about the motive."

"Lieutenant, I appreciate all of your help while I've been going to school. But the last time I checked, I was still Chief Investigator here."

"Yes sir." Lonnie responded. Then, he walked out.

Sweet just stared at Virgil in utter disbelief. "Is there a problem, Sgt. Sweet?"

"Yes sir, there is. But I'd rather not say what, not just yet anyway."

The two men glared at each other and then Virgil spoke. "Then if you have nothing to say, go get your friend and see about getting the names of every white male in Sparta with a prescription for Rophypnol."

Sweet left the station and, just as he suspected, Lonnie was waiting for him in the car.

"I'm telling you now, Willson. I DON'T want to talk about it."

"Okay, okay. Look, we're supposed to get the names of all the white guys on this Rophypnol stuff. I guess we should go do that now."

"We will." Lonnie responded. "After we make a pit stop at the trailer park."

XXX

Monica left Ms. Delong's office 30 minutes ago, and stopped by the store to get a CD for Lonnie and to clear her head. She didn't have anymore more help for him than she did before she left the house that morning. But somehow, talking with Darnelle and Ms. Delong had made her feel better. And if things did get out of control, at least Lonnie would have some emotional support, even though both Darnelle and Ms. Delong would still have to do their jobs. Monica looked at her watch and hurried to her car. She had told Althea that she'd be home within the hour.

As she was walking to her car, she heard a somewhat familiar voice.

"Hi Monica."

Monica turned around and saw Aaron Pitman. "Hi, there Aaron. I see you finally got your nose from underneath those books."

Aaron smiled, but Monica thought something was missing from it. The smile seemed empty. "I need you to come with me. It's important."

Monica's senses were up. _'This boy is not right'_ she thought. "Why don't you follow me back to the Tibbs'?" She suggested.

At that moment, Aaron reached the left side of shirt, pulled out his shirttail just far enough to show Monica the gun he had on him. "I don't think so. We don't have time for that."

XXX

It was going on six o'clock and Althea was getting frustrated. Dinner was on the table, but no one was home except for her, Etta, and the twins.

"I thought Monica was supposed to be here by 3pm?" Etta asked.

"That's what she said when she called. I'm worried." Althea responded.

"Lord, I hope she and Lt. Jamison ain't off at my trailer. I've had about all of Virgil I can stand. He find them there again and Lord only knows what that man likely to do."

"Well, I know they're not there. Lonnie's on duty until 7pm. Besides…." At that moment a car pulled up in the driveway. Althea looked out of the kitchen window and she saw it was Virgil.

"Hello." He greeted when he came into the house.

"Hi." Althea responded. Etta noticed the tension and decided to go check on the babies so that the two of them could talk She fixed three quick plates, and headed upstairs.

Virgil washed his hands and sat down at the table to eat. After about five full minutes of silence, Althea finally spoke.

"Virgil, we can't go on like this. The whole house is filled with tension. We need to talk about it."

"Fine. What do you have to say?" Virgil asked.

"I'd like to know why you're so angry about this. I know why you're angry with me. I kept something from you. And for that, I apologize. But what is it about Lonnie and Monica seeing each other that bothers you so much?"

Virgil looked at her with disbelief. "No, honey. Really." Althea continued. "I truly apologize. It's taken me a while, but I do understand that I hurt you. Can you possibly find a way to understand why I did it?"

Virgil thought for a moment before he spoke. "I understand that you felt the need to keep Monica and Lonnie's relationship hidden from me. I don't understand why you're in such support of it."

"You didn't see them together like I did, Virgil. The way they respond to each other, sometimes without even having to say one word. It's like they were made just for each other. Like you and I used to be."

"Used to be?"

Althea looked Virgil straight in the eyes. "You haven't noticed the changes in us?"

Virgil sighed. "Yes, I have. But between my work, school, your career, the kids….I just chalked it up to both of us being fatigued."

"I suppose that could be it, if we really wanted it to be. Anyway, I wish you would speak to Monica. She's scared to death of you right now."

"And say what, Althea? 'Can I walk you down the aisle at your wedding'?"

"Virgil…."

"No. No Althea. Look, I will speak to Monica. I promise you that. She's family as far as I'm concerned and I want her to be comfortable in our home. But my feelings about her involvement with Jamison have not changed. Can you and I just agree to disagree on that?"

"Sure. As soon as you explain to me exactly how Monica is supposed to be comfortable here knowing that you're trying to destroy the man she loves!"

XXX

It was close to 7pm; quitting time for both Jamison and Sweet. But Lonnie's hunch appeared to be correct and neither of the two men wanted to leave until they had everything in place for Virgil.

After speaking with the missing girls' parents again, the men discovered a lot. Both families attended the same church, First Assembly of Sparta. It was a pretty decent sized congregation for a new church, about 100 people, and the first racially diverse church in Sparta. Most of the families that attended were young, and Sparta transplants. The church had some strange by-laws though, including one that said a girl could not date unless it was approved by her father and the head of the church. What was throwing Lonnie off was the dead girls. They didn't attend First Assembly, but he was sure that the church fit in there somewhere.

"This is weird." Sweet said as he read a copy of the bylaws the Arringtons' had given them. "It's like a cult, but without the bunkers and guns."

"Yeah." Lonnie replied. "Gimme the phone. I need a judge and two warrants…quick Wish me luck. We really ain't got much of nothing."

"Wait a minute. You REALLY think the church is involved?"

"Yep. And I have since about 4pm. That's why I've got Luann out snooping."

Just then Luann entered the office. "I got it, Lieutenant." She said.

"And?"

"You were right. Reverend Elijah Pitman just had a prescription for Rohypnol filled at the beginning of the month. Oh, and Rhonda Arrington's test results came in, too. Positve for Rohypnol."

"Willson…" Lonnie started.

"I know. Call Virgil."

XXX

Monica and Aaron arrived at Brewer's Pond. Somehow, Aaron seemed to know exactly where he was going. He pulled right into the driveway of Etta's trailer.

"How did you know about this place?" She asked.

"I followed you here. Now get out."

"Please don't hurt me. Just tell me what you want!"

"Hush now. It'll all be over soon. I hope. Just get out and go open the trailer for us. And bring your phone with you."


	5. Chapter 5

And Therein Lies the Truth

Chapter 5

Virgil and Althea didn't say anymore about Monica and Lonnie. He did clear the table and began to wash dishes, his peace offering to Althea. She was in the living room on the phone.

"Okay. Thank you for calling." Althea walked into the kitchen with a strange look on her face.

"What is it?" Virgil asked.

"Monica. She called earlier and said she'd be home by three, but it's almost eight and she's not home. And that was Marie calling. She was working late tonight and when she left, she saw Monica's car. But no sign of her. Virgil, something's wrong!"

Virgil was only half listening. He was sure that Monica was with Jamison since he got off at seven tonight. While Althea was talking, he reached over to get the dish soap. That's when he noticed the small pill that Althea had placed there earlier.

"Althea. Where did this come from?"

"What? Oh, I think the boy I tutor may have dropped it this morning. Anyway, about Monica, I…"

"Honey, what is your student's name?"

"Virgil, I'm talking about Monica…"

"His name, Thea!" Virgil screamed.

"Aaron Pitman! Virgil, what's going on?"

Virgil ran to the phone. Just as he was about to pick up and dial, it rang. And Virgil found Sweet on the other end of the line.

XXX

By the time Lonnie, Sweet, Virgil and Luann got all of their information together, they had enough evidence to get a tired and cranky Judge Simms out of his bed to issue a search warrant for the church and both of the Pitman's property. It appeared that the Reverend owned a small shack in the middle of Brewer's Woods in addition to their family home.

"Luann, you and the Lieutenant take this warrant and get to the Pitman's home first. We need the Reverend to tell us where his son is. Sweet, I need you to come with me to Brewer's Woods in case the boy is there."

Lonnie was a bit miffed that Virgil took Sweet, but not surprised. When Sweet got into the car, Virgil spoke.

"Listen, Althea said that Monica met this Aaron kid while she was tutoring him at the house."

Sweet knew there was more, so he waited while Virgil continued.

"Monica may be missing. She was supposed to be home by 3pm and no one has seen her. And her car was found in the square about 30 minutes ago."

Sweet didn't respond. He figured that was why he sent Lonnie in the opposite direction. What Sweet couldn't figure out is if Virgil's decision was out of concern for Lonnie or if he was just power tripping again. In either case, this could turn out bad if Lonnie figured out that Monica might be in danger.

XXX

Lonnie and Luann arrived at the Pitman home. His car was in the driveway but no one answered the door when they rang. All of a sudden, the two officers heard loud crashing from behind the house.

"He's running!" Lonnie cried, and he and Luann took off around the back of the house.

"That's not the kid! It's the father!" Luann shouted.

They only had to run a few yards. The Reverend couldn't keep up the chase and finally crashed to the ground. Luann went to get the car and call for back up. Lonnie cuffed him and read him his rights. When Luann came around with the car, they put him in the backseat.

"Did you get Virgil on the radio?" Lonnie asked.

"Nope, bad reception. But it could be those woods. Anyway, Parker and Dee are about five minutes away. They're en route."

"Good. We're gonna need some help searching this house. The Reverend here claims he don't know where his son is."

Just as Lonnie was about to walk back to the front door, his cell phone rang. He answered it thinking it might be Virgil or Sweet trying to reach them.

"Jamison here."

"LJ! I need you! Quick!"

"Honey what's wrong? Where are you?"

"I'm at the trailer! With Aaron Pitman!"

At that moment, Parker and Dee pulled up. Dee went to the car where Reverend Pitman was locked in. Parker and Luann ran to Lonnie who was yelling into his phone.

"Monica! Has he hurt you? Look, I'm on my way, honey. Just hang on!"

"LJ, he's…OH MY GOD!" The next sounds Lonnie heard were gunshots followed by Monica's screams.

Lonnie's head started spinning. His legs began to shake and had Parker and Luann not been there to catch him, he would've fallen to the ground.

"Monica's hurt! I gotta go!" Lonnie snatched himself away and ran to the car that Parker and Dee had just arrived in.

"Did he say Monica? As in STYLES?" Parker asked.

Luann didn't respond. She didn't know the answer for sure, but she was almost positive that the answer to Parker's question was 'yes'. And judging by the way Lonnie screeched down the street, there was a lot more going on there than any of them had a clue about.

XXX

Lonnie pulled into the trailer lot and found Virgil and Sweet with their guns drawn. The front living room windows in the trailer had been shot out. Lonnie ran to them.

"Virgil, where is she? Where's Monica?" Lonnie was a complete wreck.

"Why are you here? I didn't call for you, Lieutenant. You need to leave."

"Monica called me on my phone! And I'll go when I know she's safe!"

Sweet decided to give Lonnie some kind of information before the man lost it and killed Virgil on the spot. He'd never seen Lonnie so shaken up before and he saw a real bad situation about to get worse.

"Lonnie, we were on our way to the Pitman place when Virgil spotted the kid's car here. He contacted Aaron on the bullhorn and told him to come out. The boy just kept asking where his father was, but he stayed inside. I could see in through the right window. I saw Monica inside and told Virgil. When she stood up and moved to her left, I was given orders to take the shot."

Lonnie's face went stark white. "Sweet, is she okay? Is she hit?"

Sweet looked up and then back to Lonnie. "I don't know, Lonnie. I don't think so. But I don't know."

Just then Lonnie's phone rang. He almost dropped it to answer. "Jamison! Oh God, honey! Are you okay?"

Virgil and Sweet watched as Lonnie listened to Monica. He lowered the phone, looked at Virgil and spoke. "The kid's not our perp."

"Look, I'm sick and tired of conducting investigations based on your love life! If you…"

"And I'm sick and tired of your know-it-all attitude! If you had shut up and listened to me earlier, half of this wouldn't have happened!"

Virgil's jaw hit the ground, as did Sweet's. While both men were quiet, Lonnie kept talking. "Aaron's daddy, the Reverend, has been doing this. Aaron figured it out a few months back. He tried to figure out his dad's system so he could stop him without having to get his daddy in trouble. When girls started dying he realized he was in over his head. He figured out that Monica was his father's next target and brought her here to keep her safe. He left that pill you want to use so badly as evidence on purpose. That's why he had Althea tutor him. He wanted you to figure it out so he wouldn't have to turn his own daddy in to the police."

"And how in the hell are we supposed to know if the boy's telling the truth!" Virgil screamed.

"For one thing, that trailer belongs to your aunt and doesn't have a pink and white bedroom. After your visit here last weekend, you should know that. Secondly, Monica's alive, Virgil! Third, Aaron told her his daddy tracks his victims before he strikes. In the basement of their house the man's got all of their pictures, including some more girls we don't know about. Monica's picture is the last one."

Just, then Virgil's radio began to squawk. He answered it. Sweet and Lonnie tried to listen as hard as Virgil was. It wasn't clear at all. But all three men heard the same three things. It was Parker speaking, something about a basement, and something about some pictures.

Lonnie got back on with Monica and told her to warn Aaron that he was coming in. He told her to promise him that he was not in trouble and that he would enter by himself.

As soon as Lonnie opened the door, Monica rushed into his arms. He held her so tight that Monica's sides began to hurt. Lonnie pulled her at his arms length so that he could look at her. He tried to say something to her, but he couldn't speak. He just pulled her back against him, buried his face in her neck and cried.

Virgil came in to advise Lonnie that he was no longer needed at the scene. But when he walked in and saw Lonnie crying in Monica's arms, his voice wouldn't cooperate with the thoughts in his head. He motioned Aaron to follow him outside, and left Lonnie and Monica alone.

XXX

Back at the station, everyone was wrapping up the final report on the case. Reverend Pitman had gone over the religious deep end. He had somehow decided that God had chosen him to keep the young women of Sparta chaste and pure. He would take girls that he spotted on his own or he would use the information his congregates shared with him during counseling. He would drug them and then physically test them to see if they were virgins. If they were, he would have sex with them, thereby cleansing them of the temptation to stray since he was one with God. If they were not virgins, then he would wait for the Rophynol to wear off, and then brutally beat, rape, and murder them to 'eradicate the evil influence'. His kidnapping days were always the same: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That's how Aaron knew which day to hide Monica. Writing the report was easy; the man gave them every bit of information they asked for, and then some. He truly believed that he was an agent of God and that he had performed God's will.

As for Aaron, he was indeed formally arrested. However, Darnelle and Virgil agreed to work on a deal that would keep him out of prison.

Virgil was about to get into his car and head home when Harriet Delong stopped him.

"Harriet! It's awful late. What are you doing out here?"

"What else? Fighting with Holly Colmer and his bunch. You're working late as well, I see."

"We just caught the kidnapper. You'll hear all about it tomorrow."

"Virgil, can we sit for a moment? I only need a few minutes."

"Sure." Virgil gestured to the small bench that was just outside of the station entrance.

"I'll get right to the point. I know about Lonnie and Monica. And I know that you're considering filing charges of improper conduct against him. And…."

Virgil was trying to keep his temper. His emotions were still reeling from the confrontation with Jamison during the siege. He wasn't ready for an assault from Harriet as well.

Harriet took a deep breath and continued. "I know why you're pushing for this. You're thinking of Linda."

Virgil shut his eyes and looked away from Harriet. She slowly took his hand and continued. "I'm not going to tell you what to do. You know your own mind and you'll do what you feel is right. Just make sure that the right thing you decide to do, is the right thing for the two of them; not the right thing for you. Please." She patted his hand and walked across the street to her car.

When Virgil finally arrived home, he found Lonnie's car parked on the curb and Althea waiting for him on the porch. Before he could open his mouth, she spoke. "Monica didn't want to stay at the trailer, for obvious reasons. Lonnie refused to leave her. And I refuse to ask him to."

Virgil looked at his wife and kissed her cheek. "I know, babe. I know. Where are they?"

"Upstairs. Monica's mentally and physically exhausted."

Virgil couldn't face his wife. He just shook his head from side to side. Then he finally spoke. "I have so much to say to them. And to say to you. Where do I begin? 'I'm sorry' seems so very weak."

Althea gave Virgil a hug. "Try something new. Don't say anything. Try showing us how you feel instead."

XXX

The rest of summer break passed uneventfully for Lonnie and Monica. But neither of them was complaining. Lonnie and Monica now saw each other for dinner at the Tibbs' home, although there still some unresolved tension between Virgil and Lonnie. The couple spent their nights together at the trailer, and continued to arrive at separate times in their own vehicles. Sweet and Lonnie had gone in, repaired the windows, and threw out all of the old furniture. They also primed the walls so that Monica could decorate it herself. So their relationship was still pretty much a private affair. For one, they were both private people and just didn't think it was anyone's business. Secondly, they just didn't want to be bothered with all of the questions just yet. As a result, all of Sparta _thought _the two of them were dating, but no one was quite sure. So, as usual, no one said anything at all.

At the station, everyone could clearly see that Virgil and Lonnie were no longer friends. And they all assumed it had something to do with Monica, especially the officers that were involved in the Pitman arrest. But with all of the attention Bill and Harriet were getting, in addition to the obvious change between Virgil and Lonnie, no one at the station dared to mention it. Even Parker kept his mouth shut!

Virgil finally had a private conversation with Lonnie regarding his actions over the past six weeks, and he offered a sincere apology. Lonnie accepted it, but decided that he would study for the detective's exam on his own, though he appreciated all of the extra attention that Virgil had shown him. Virgil understood Lonnie loud and clear. Their budding friendship was now at a halt and Lonnie had nothing else to say about the matter. While Virgil had hoped that he could repair the damage he had caused, he understood Lonnie's decision and respected him for it.

Monica spent her last night in Sparta at the trailer with Lonnie. They were lying in bed together, dreading the next morning when she would leave.

"October, huh?" Lonnie said.

"Yep, that's when fall break rolls around again. That's when the trial starts, too."

"Well," Lonnie began, "At least we won't have to send airline tickets through Fedex this time."

They both laughed, and then Lonnie spoke. "Hon, I'm sorry for saying that we shouldn't see each other while Virgil was on the rampage. I didn't know how bad it'd make you feel. And I don't ever want to do or say anything that'll make you think I'm ashamed of you, or us."

Monica sat up in the bed and looked at him. "Lonnie, at the time that you said it, did you truly believe that was the best decision?"

Lonnie thought about it for a moment and answered her honestly. "Yes."

Monica leaned in and slowly kissed the top of his lips. "Then there's nothing to apologize for. I asked you to be honest and to approach this thing in your own way. No ties, no lies. Remember?"

Lonnie grabbed her and pulled her on top of him. "I remember. You know what else I remember?"

"What?"

"The floor at that hotel in New Orleans." And with that, Lonnie gave a quick twist and dragged them both out of the bed and onto the carpet.

XXX

The next morning, Lonnie packed up Monica's car after he gave it a Jamison check out.

"Everything looks okay except that passenger side back tire. The air pressure's low. Stop and get some air in there before you get out of Sparta."

Monica smiled and gave him a formal salute. "Yes, sir."

Lonnie rolled his eyes. "I mean it. If you call me stranded with this damned tire, I swear I'll leave you where you are."

"I'll stop. I promise."

The two of them kissed each other one last time. He opened her door and helped her inside. He shut the door, gave her another quick kiss on her forehead, and watched her pull off.

XXX

As promised, Monica stopped at a small gas station right on the outskirts of Sparta. And Lonnie was right. She did need to have a little air put in her tire. Of course, he had failed to explain to her exactly how to do it.

"I'm going to kill him!" Monica said out loud.

"Need some help?"

Monica stood up and saw a cute little blond standing a few feet from her. Monica almost said 'no', but she knew she'd never figure it out on her own.

"Yes, please!"

The girl smiled a little. "No problem. Let me guess. You're boyfriend sent you here, right?"

Monica laughed. "How'd you know?"

Her assistant just nodded her head. "I have a know-it-all-but-share-nothing boyfriend, too. He pulls this kind of thing all the time, when he's around."

The girls chatted as the blonde worked on her tire. They found that they had similar personalities, and both admitted this was the first time they had ever really talked to a female. After Monica's tire was filled with air and the two of them drank a soda together, the ladies exchanged mailing addresses and decided to keep in touch. Monica was elated. This was the first female friend she had ever made that wasn't an authority figure.

She had been back in school for about two weeks when she received her first letter from her new friend. She ran up the stairs to her dorm room, and smiled at the return address label.

_Lana Farren_

_Gulfport, MS_

Stay tuned for Part Four!


End file.
